gear, weather, Survival

US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission said that if nine (of 30) power stations were compromised, the US would be in a blackout for three weeks to 18 months.

The fact that we live in a digital society is not news to anyone reading this. Also not news is that digital machines consume electricity. As promised, Left To Survive stays away from the right-wing tin foil hat paranoia, but have you considered what life in the United States would be like if our power grid was taken down for a few weeks to a year? Not just at your house or place of employment, but everywhere. Think about all the ways that would impact your daily routine from communication (radio, TV, internet) to how hot your house would get if this happened on July 4th.

Now imagine what this might do to hospitals and 911 call centers. Emergency services do have backup systems in place, but they don’t always function as they were designed to as was the case in a Washington DC 911 call center.

How much cash do you have in your home? Grocery stores may still have their old-school credit card imprint machine, or maybe they’d be cash only, or maybe with all of the looters it’d be irrelevant.

​So is this a real threat or tin foil hat?

US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) said that if nine (of 30) power stations were comprised, the US would be in a blackout for three weeks to 18 months. LINK

Gunmen attacked an electrical substation in San Jose back in 2014. LINK

ISIS is currently attacking power companies (luckily they’re bad at it). LINK

This is one reason the hand cranked radio is on the emergency kit list. You’ll need to stay up to date on what is happening, and where to go for emergency services. If the cell towers are still operational, your iPhone will be dead in a few days which is why a small solar panel charger is on the emergency list. Lastly, if you or a loved one is dependent on machinery in the home such as a ventilator, make a plan on where you would go in the event of a power outage.